Buckle.



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B U C K L E. (Appucmn med nec. 27, 1897.,

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UNITED I STATES? PATENT OFFICE.l

ROBERT PORTER, OF OTTUMWA, IOWA.

BUCKLE,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,464, dated July 1, 1902.

Application tiled DecemherZ?, 1897. Serial No. 663,458. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, ROBERT.Poma-1R, a citizen of the United `States,residing in' O ttu mwa, in the county of `W'apello and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Buckles, ,of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to the construction of buckling devices for attaching the traces to the hame-tugs of harness. VItis designed to increase the security of the attachment and otherwise improve the construction.

The nature of the vinvention will be fully understood from the description which I give below, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of the invention. Fig. 2 is an outside elevation, and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section. v

In said drawings, A represents the trace, and B the hame-tug, united by my invention.

O is a buckleframe having its rear bar'O located outside the trace and its center bar O2 and front bar O3 located behind the trace.

C4 is a tongue upon the front bar O3, passing through the perforation A in the trace.

In connection with the buckle-frame I employ the bail D, which is provided at its ends with cross-bars D and D2, which pass over the outer side of the trace, and a third crossbar D3, located behind the trace and serving as a means for the attachment of the hametug, it being passed through the loop of the tug, as plainly seen at Fig. 3. 'The side bars D5 ofthis bail are bent, as shown more par-v ticularly at Figs. land 3, so as to carry the end bars'outside of the' trace, and they bailis sufficiently narrower than the buckle-frame to allow the rear end of it to be passed between the side bars C5 of the buckle and bear against the cross-bar O3 of the latter, the trace, which is passed under the rear bar D', coacting with said bars of the bail in locking the bail to the buckleframe." The bail is provided with a tongue D4, projecting inwardly from its forward crossbar D2 and passing.

through the trace and into 'the`ham'e4tug. (See Fig. 3.) Y f It will be noticed that my invention contains several valuable features. First, the trace is held down upon the buckle-tongue()4 by the rear and front cross-bars of the bail, so that it is prevented from slipping off said tongue lwhen the horse is backing or hold-4 ing back, as in going downhill; second, the tongue upon-the bail greatly increases the security of the attachment of the trace, because leven if the trace shouldslipoff oftougue C4 the tongue D will still be in engagement and will hold it securely; third, the cross-bar DB and the cross-bar D2 operate together to keep the trace and tug in their proper close proximity and form a loop through which the trace may be passed between the buckle-tongue and the loop B', carried by the hame-tug.

The tongue D4 may or may not be used, as desired.- I prefer to use it, however,because, as already stated, itvincreases-the security of the attachment, and when there lare tongues both on the buckle-frame and on the bailthe strain of the trace-holes when the draft is on will not be so great as it would be in case lonly one tongue were used. The tongue may be applied to the cross-bar D3 of the bail, if preferred.

It willvbe further noticed that the outer cross-bar D of .the bail and-the -inner crossbars C2 and C5 of the buckle-frame are arranged relatively at the points of a triangle, the bar D b eing outside and the others inside the brace and the bar D' being intermediate the planes of the other two. By reason of this the pull or strain of the bar D upon the trace is opposed by the bars C2 and O3, but in such manner as to enable the bar D to depress the trace between C2 and O3, and thus give it a very strong hold or purchase upon the'trace. In this action the bail has a strong leverage upon the trace, Vwith the bar O3 as its fulcrum.

The buckle consisting of a frame C having outer cross-bar C', andinner cross-bars C2 and C3, the latter carrying a tongue, and a bail adapted to be entered between said cross-bars C2 and O3 and having outer cross-bars Dand D2 at its ends, both adapted to bear on the outside of the trace, and the bar Df being located between the planes of cross-bars C? and O3, said bail also havinganinsidev cross-bar D3 for the attachment of the hame-tug, substantially as specified.

' ROBERT PORTER.

Witnesses:

CEAS. HALL, W. W. CHRISTIE.

IOO 

